


April Heather

by xanemarths



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Shin Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Ken | Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, Fire Emblem: Shin Monshou no Nazo | Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem
Genre: Developing Relationship, Flowers, Mentions of Draconic customs, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Xane, Other, Xane's eternal struggle with the concept of Feelings, but not too overt I guess? It's one line, implications of character death, the language of rocks, the long and slippery slope into romantic love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-24 19:56:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17710580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xanemarths/pseuds/xanemarths
Summary: Xane never understood the human tradition of exchanging flowers as a declaration of love. Why give someone something that faded so quickly?Marth really loves flowers.





	April Heather

**Author's Note:**

> Vaguely inspired by [this sketch](http://mercinarily.tumblr.com/post/167513723432/paused-from-working-on-a-big-thing-to-draw%20sketch); it then took on a life of its own? But god I love Trikey's art. Please look at Trikey's Xane art. It is so good.

Xane never understood the human tradition of exchanging flowers as a declaration of love. Flowers faded fast, doomed to wilt away from the moment they were picked. Why use something so fickle and fleeting when pledging something so eternal?

The longer xe watches, the more xe begins to think, bitterly, that actually, that's a perfect symbol for human love.

Neverlasting. Always fading.

Xe turns away from humanity and scoffs.

* * *

He's barely seventeen, which is young by any standards - young even by human standards, who view a century as old. He's barely seventeen, and already he seems to be fading.

Oh, there's kindness in there - the kindness that lets him free a prisoner of the enemy, that allows him to accept someone strange and non-human even if he doesn't _know_ \- but there's also anger, and crushing despair.

Part of Xane wonders if this kid will even live to truly reclaim his kingdom. He's nothing like the shining hero Gotoh seemed to think he was.

It's not xir business what happens to Prince Marth anyway. When all this is over, xe’ll walk away anyway.

Xe doesn't owe him anything.

* * *

There are flowers in Marth's hair, twined and braided into a crown of blues and whites. The smile on his face is wider than Xane’s ever seen it.

“What do you think?” he asks, beaming, as he sits next to the shapeshifter. Xane doesn't understand this, doesn't understand why this prince always goes so far out of his way just for a little chat with one member of his army. He has more important people to see and talk to, better than the exotic freakshow recaptured from enemy lines.

“You look like a doofus,” says Xane, because, well, he does. But not in a bad way, not really. Marth always seemed a bit of a doof, but, it was nice to see him smile.

It's nice to see him laugh, too, and that's what he does now, laugh and smile and look at Xane like xe’s the most important thing there. Which is terrifying, and quite a lot of pressure, if xe’s honest.

“Caeda made it for me,” he admits as he removes it. “She used to, quite often, when we were in Talys. Before she bought me a new circlet.”

“Oh,” says Xane, because xe doesn't know what else to say to that - xe’s sure there's a story there, but xe’s not interested in hearing it and certain xe’s not close enough to ask, anyway.

Marth is quiet for a while longer, twisting the crown in his fingers. The silence is comfortable, yet terrifying. Xe cannot place a finger on why.

“I think you'd look good in one.”

Xane laughs, which turns into a scoff at the end. “Don't be ridiculous, princey,” xe says. “They're too delicate for me.”

“Oh,” says Marth, still twirling the flowercrown in his fingers. It's tearing and squeezing beneath them in places. Xane knows xe said the wrong thing.

It won't matter anyway. There's no reason the prince would ever make xem such a thing, anyway.

* * *

Tiki races through the falling petals, a grin wide on her face. Xane watches her from one half-open eye, just in case - but it seems that _Marmar_ is the one in charge of supervision here, making sure Tiki doesn't get into too much trouble.

Whatever. Kid needed a few new friends, anyway. Marth was probably better than stuffy weird non-relation who had to make you sleep a lot.

The spring flowers are beautiful and pink. The pastel aesthetic is strangely fitting for Marth, who seems bewildered by the petals in his hair. Xane almost laughs.

Xe’s almost fallen asleep when Tiki scampers over and sets something atop xir head. When xe glances up, xe can barely see the edges of a wreath of flowers dropped on xir head.

“Look, Xaney! You're royalty now!”

She seems so pleased with herself, that Xane can't help but smile and laugh and play along. Xe does catch when Marth sneaks a glance over at the two of them, hastily turning away when he sees Xane, and xe highly suspects the crown wasn't entirely Tiki’s idea.

How fitting. A crown of the most fleeting of flowers, made for xem. 

Fleeting, just like the time xe was in his army. Everything would be over soon, and they'd go their separate ways.

It's strange how that seems so much less appealing, as time goes by.

* * *

They meet again in a desert, on a path through fire and ice and the most inhospitable lands man has ever known.

Xane is not human, but even for xem, the route is hellish.

“So dragons truly do not give flowers as gifts?” Marth asks one night as they huddle for warmth amongst the furs in his tent; they've already discussed all they could about the route tomorrow, and the wind howling outside is too vicious for Marth to send xem back to xir own tent in good consciousness. Xane shakes xir head.

“Nah. We give _rocks_. They last much longer. Much more romantic, that way.”

“We sort of give each other rocks,” Marth points out, waving a hand where a ring would have been, at any other time. Xane tries to forget that. “They're too rare and precious to give on a regular basis, though. Besides, flowers have a language, you know. It's easy to send messages that way.”

Xane did _not_ know, but that doesn't stop xem from putting on haughty airs. “ _Rocks_ have a language, too. Not just the gems you humans seem to attach to, either. Regular ol’ rocks, an’ ones that aren't gems but are rich in color but smooth to the touch, an’ _geodes-_ ”

“And what do geodes mean?” Marth asks, and Xane’s jaw clamps firmly shut before xe can say _weddin’ proposal._

“You know, Princey. Important stuff. You probably wouldn't understand.”

* * *

Xe regrets not telling him when, back in Altea once more, a geode shows up in front of xir tent. It has to have been him, too - no one else could have known, and he smiles when he sees Xane holding it.

It can't hurt to hold onto it, and think of things that might have been.

* * *

Marth's birthday rolls around in April, and Xane does not know what to get him.

Which is completely foolish. Xe does not want to celebrate a day that leads this human one step closer to his swiftly impending death; he's about a fifth of the way through his life, if he's lucky. The life of a human usually passes before the draconic equivalent of a year does. Xe won't even be 1900 yet when he dies, and yet-

Xe collapses in a field to think, and it's there xe finds xir answer. There is nothing a prince could want for that he couldn't buy himself, but these warm purple flowers, swaying in the breeze - well. He always did like flowers.

Xe grabs a handful and stomps back off to camp, letting them hang limply in xir hand. If there's a better, more careful way of delivery, xe neither knows nor cares. Xe doesn't stop until xe’s standing right in front of him, xir gift of flowers hidden behind xir back at the last possible moment before xe spots him.

“Um. Happy birthday, or whatever, Princey,” xe tells him, producing the purple flowers with a flourish; Marth's eyes light up with joy, and he leans in to observe them.

“Oh! Heather!” he exclaims with a wide grin, breathing in whatever scent it was that the flowers have. He stays there for a moment, genuinely content, and a wave of relief crashes over Xane as xe realizes xir gift is appreciated - and then Marth frowns, and looks at xem. “...Where did you find them, though? Heather blooms in late summer, not April.”

“Oh,” says Xane, throat suddenly feeling quite dry and unable to swallow. “You know. In a field.”

Marth stares at xem a moment longer, and xe doesn't want to _be_ there anymore, doesn't want to be under his scrutiny. But he relents, and smiles. “Oh, well. I suppose it doesn't really matter, does it? All that matters is that they're gorgeous, and I shall treasure them.”

“Yeah,” says Xane. “Of course. Thanks.”

Xe turns and strides away as fast as seems possible and appropriate. Whatever it was on earth that had possessed xem to do that had faded now, and xe returned to xir tent, heart beating fast out of xir chest.

Whatever. It didn't matter what Marth thought of Xir dumb flowers.

Xe was meant to be alone, anyway.

Humans faded quickly, like flowers. Xe had to remember that.

* * *

Human life may have faded fast as flowers, but love, like rocks, carried on eternal-

Even after he was gone, even after they were both gone.

**Author's Note:**

> Heather: Admiration, good luck


End file.
